Does 'Yeah, No...' Mean Yes Or No (Or Both)?"In fact, according to research by a couple of Australian linguists, 'yeah, no' (and its less popular sibling 'yes, no') has a hidden logic all its own and can be used in a number of discrete ways. Listen to Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo dissect a construction that appears to be contradictory but is actually quite useful."
Slate 06/10/13 (audio)